Latest news with #EEO
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NYPD captain fired for harassing detective with explicit texts and lewd photos: NYPD
An NYPD captain has been fired for sexting a detective with explicit language and pictures of his penis, according to NYPD documents. Capt. Brian Flynn was canned by Commissioner Jessica Tisch in April — three months before his 20th anniversary on the job, meaning he lost the pension and health benefits to which he would have otherwise been entitled. Flynn had pleaded guilty, hoping to save his job — or at least be allowed to retire so he could keep his pension and benefits. He testified at a mitigation hearing at One Police Plaza that he took full responsibility for his actions, NYPD Trial Judge Jeff Adler noted in department documents, and admitted he had embarrassed his family and the NYPD. A department psychologist, Dr. Gregory Mack, testified on Flynn's behalf that the captain was traumatized by his past — based on Flynn telling Mack that his father physically and mentally abused him and that he discovered his mother's body when she killed herself in 2013, according to the documents. But Adler said that doesn't 'in any way excuse [Flynn's] egregious behavior in this case.' Adler noted the 'stream of sexually graphic, disturbing text messages, including a number of offensive photographs.' 'Moreover,' Adler added, '[Flynn] did so while he was on duty, when he should have been focusing on his public safety obligations.' Tisch, who has the final say in all disciplinary matters, on April 11 signed off on Adler's recommendation without commenting further. The detective who accused Flynn would not comment. She joined the NYPD in 2014 and said in a lawsuit filed two years ago that while working at Bronx Warrants she was subjected to two years of sexual harassment by Flynn beginning in April 2021, when he was named the unit's commanding officer. The suit, which is still pending, accuses Flynn of at least 10 times texting the detective photos of his erect penis, often while working — and of his ejaculate on a napkin. He made lewd text comments as well, according to the suit and police documents, including suggesting what he would do with his tongue if she ever arrested him. He also texted the detectives a photo of the lower half of her clothed body. 'I wanna eat it,' he said, according to the documents. Flynn, who is married, also asked for the detective's underwear, according to the suit, promising her a Commander's Day — a day off that a supervisor can grant to an underling for exemplary police work, such as a good arrest. When the detective refused Flynn's request she was denied days off and overtime, the suit says. After the detective filed an EEO complaint in November 2022, Flynn sought help from department doctors, the documents say. John Scola, the detective's lawyer, said Flynn got what he deserved. 'His conduct was predatory, vile and an unforgivable abuse of power against a subordinate who had the courage to say no,' Scola said. 'While this outcome is a step forward, protecting women in law enforcement demands real reform, not just damage control after the harm is done.' Flynn could not be reached for comment. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Some DACC faculty, staff concerned over Fletcher appointment
When Jonathan Jett, director of Financial Aid at Danville Area Community College, heard that interim president Dr. Randall Fletcher may be a shoo-in for the permanent presidential position before the opening was even posted, he was concerned. In a recent email to the Board of Trustees of the college, Jett said there are 'too many doubts in how the process has been handled' — something he said he told Board Chair Greg Wolfe and Vice Chair Terry Hill in a meeting with them April 16. 'The staff have not had enough time to evaluate Dr. Fletcher's job performance,' he wrote in his email, adding that it is 'not fair to Dr. Fletcher because he has not had enough time to do much to be evaluated ... [and] if there is doubt in the process if he is hired, that would cast a shadow over his presidency.' The position came open in October 2024 when long-time president Dr. Stephen Nacco resigned from his position after a public fall-out with Danville Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr. While Dr. Carl Bridges, DACC's provost and vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, filled the role temporarily, a month later, Fletcher was chosen to fill the position on an interim basis until June 2025. DACC Board of Trustees Chair Greg Wolfe said the Board will vote Wednesday, June 4 on whether to extend Fletcher's interim contract to December 31st, 2025, not to extend an official presidential contract offer. Stephanie Davis, an instructor of communications at the college, agrees with Jett that the college's hiring process in this case has been out of the ordinary. 'We were asked to evaluate [Fletcher's] performance, but we were never given any deliverables,' Davis said. 'We were never given any evidence of a work product.' Davis, who recently spoke about her concerns at a DACC Board of Trustees meeting, added that her primary concern is the failure of the college to post the job opening in plenty of time to attract other applicants — something which was only remedied after Davis filed a formal complaint with the college. 'I told them at the board meeting, 'You're violating the EEO [Equal Employment Opportunity Act]. You're violating the law. People have to be able to compete,' and they did nothing for 10 days until I filed a formal complaint.' 'We should be attempting to attract the best possible candidate, and we can't do that if we don't post the job,' said Davis. 'DACC is a premier institution. This would be a job that would attract highly-qualified candidates from across the country, if they're made aware of it.' Davis said she informed the Board via email April 24 that she would be moving forward with her formal complaint. Almost a month later, on May 21, the job was posted on the school's website, but not shared in the customary ways other positions are shared. Jett referred to the lack of a public job posting, as well. 'To only have the position posted for two weeks … seems like we are not truly having an open and fair process. Why do just the minimum for such an important job for our college, our students, and our community?' he asked in his email. Jett also pointed out that the college has a fully-equipped Human Resources Department which could assist in finding a suitable candidate. Davis said she is concerned about the extent to which the Board of Trustees has gotten involved in the hiring process for the presidential position. 'I have never seen [the Board] be involved in day-to-day operations, and according to HLC [Higher Learning Commission], they're not supposed to be,' Davis said. 'I'm just very uncertain as to why this is happening. It deviates so dramatically from what it's supposed to be.' According to a FOIA response from DACC Board secretary Kerri Thurman, there is no official hiring process on the books for the position beyond how the Board chooses to handle it. Davis said her formal employment opportunity complaint is still pending, and she still has a list of questions that haven't been answered — questions she sent to the Board a week ago, she said, but still has not received a response beyond an invitation to a meeting. Among the questions Davis asked included who will serve on the hiring committee. 'Typically people on the hiring committee would have PhDs and people from all across the college would be consulted,' Davis said. 'I've been in higher education for 20 years, and I've never seen anything handled in this way,' Davis said. 'It keeps me up at night because the consequences are severe.' 'When you're bringing someone in, and it hasn't been a transparent process, we don't know what we're getting,' Davis said. 'I had expected that Dr. Fletcher would be competing against the other candidates and that we would get to see some of his ideas, and we haven't seen them.' 'To offer a pretty high salary to someone with no evidence of a work product is pretty concerning to me,' she said. 'This is a very important role in our community and I just want transparency.' Davis was quick to point out that her issue isn't with Fletcher himself but with the lack of transparency — something Jett also said in his email. 'I have great respect for Dr. Fletcher and think he is a good candidate for the job, but as the elected members to this board, it is your job to ensure we hire the best person for the job. How can you ensure that we hire the best person if no other candidates have had the time and opportunity to apply?' Jett asked. Jett agrees with Davis that the Board should be careful in choosing the next president. 'I am pleading with you to not rush through this and to make sure we have an open and fair hiring process to eliminate any doubt for the sake of Dr. Fletcher, the college, and our community,' Jett wrote in his letter to the Board. DACC's will hold a special meeting of the Board Wednesday, June 4, at 2 p.m. with the consideration of extending Fletcher's interim presidential contract on the agenda.
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Current And Former Commissioners Call For The Release Of Equal Pay Amendments' Human Rights Analysis
Press Release – Human Rights Commission Our parliamentary processes are in place to protect democratic participation rights and should not be circumvented, especially on an issue like this which has significant consequences for so many people. The Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) Commissioner and three former EEO Commissioners are calling for the release of the human rights analysis of the controversial equal pay amendments. Saunoamaali'i Dr Karanina Sumeo, Dr Jackie Blue and Dame Judy McGregor say they support the current EEO Commissioner Professor Gail Pacheco's concerns that the legislative overhaul will make claims more difficult. Professor Pacheco is concerned about the halt in progress on 33 current claims and the lack of consultation. Earlier in the week, she made a statement that said: ' The significant savings to the Government will come from the pockets of women working in jobs that are undervalued. 'It's also concerning that the government is putting a stop to progress made to current claims that thousands of individuals have contributed to in good faith. Their hard work deserves to be respected, not undone. 'Our parliamentary processes are in place to protect democratic participation rights and should not be circumvented, especially on an issue like this which has significant consequences for so many people.' The Cabinet paper accompanying the legislation had blanked out the human rights implications in a redacted section. The former EEO Commissioners say that the public deserves to know the human rights consequences of the fast-tracked bill which was passed under urgency this week. 'The use of urgency locked out both women and members of the public to have input on critical legislation that impacts on their jobs, their livelihoods, their families and breaches their rights.' 'Pay equity obligations are specified in various legally binding United Nation conventions to which New Zealand is a signatory, such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and in conventions on the rights of disabled people and racial discrimination. New Zealand has also signed up to International Labour Organization conventions on pay equity. 'As a country we regularly boast about being a human rights leader so we need to see how this could affect our reputation as well as how it affects women who deserve pay equity in good faith. 'The New Zealand Government has repeatedly promised the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) that it was making steady progress on implementing equal pay and pay equity.' ' In its last report to CEDAW the Government boasted about the effectiveness of the legislation it has now overturned. Women are worried about the human rights implications of making it harder to get pay equity,' the former Commissioners say. The Ministry for Women told the CEDAW committee last year that the previous equal pay law had 'introduced a practical and accessible process to raise and consider claims of systemic sex-based pay undervaluation in female-dominated occupations.' The Ministry told CEDAW the changes had set out 'a clear pay equity process to test whether work that is predominantly done by women is free from sex-based undervaluation.' 'Now that this practical, accessible and clear pay equity process has been abandoned, we need to know how women's human rights will be protected. We need to see the advice that the Cabinet was given in the true spirit of transparency,' the former Commissioners say. ' Aotearoa New Zealand consistently tells the United Nations that it is proud of its leadership on gender equality in the international community. We now have to be honest that we are no longer first in class. We are alarmed that human rights implications were not disclosed or examined and regarded as insignificant.'
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Current And Former Commissioners Call For The Release Of Equal Pay Amendments' Human Rights Analysis
Press Release – Human Rights Commission Our parliamentary processes are in place to protect democratic participation rights and should not be circumvented, especially on an issue like this which has significant consequences for so many people. The Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) Commissioner and three former EEO Commissioners are calling for the release of the human rights analysis of the controversial equal pay amendments. Saunoamaali'i Dr Karanina Sumeo, Dr Jackie Blue and Dame Judy McGregor say they support the current EEO Commissioner Professor Gail Pacheco's concerns that the legislative overhaul will make claims more difficult. Professor Pacheco is concerned about the halt in progress on 33 current claims and the lack of consultation. Earlier in the week, she made a statement that said: ' The significant savings to the Government will come from the pockets of women working in jobs that are undervalued. 'It's also concerning that the government is putting a stop to progress made to current claims that thousands of individuals have contributed to in good faith. Their hard work deserves to be respected, not undone. 'Our parliamentary processes are in place to protect democratic participation rights and should not be circumvented, especially on an issue like this which has significant consequences for so many people.' The Cabinet paper accompanying the legislation had blanked out the human rights implications in a redacted section. The former EEO Commissioners say that the public deserves to know the human rights consequences of the fast-tracked bill which was passed under urgency this week. 'The use of urgency locked out both women and members of the public to have input on critical legislation that impacts on their jobs, their livelihoods, their families and breaches their rights.' 'Pay equity obligations are specified in various legally binding United Nation conventions to which New Zealand is a signatory, such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and in conventions on the rights of disabled people and racial discrimination. New Zealand has also signed up to International Labour Organization conventions on pay equity. 'As a country we regularly boast about being a human rights leader so we need to see how this could affect our reputation as well as how it affects women who deserve pay equity in good faith. 'The New Zealand Government has repeatedly promised the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) that it was making steady progress on implementing equal pay and pay equity.' ' In its last report to CEDAW the Government boasted about the effectiveness of the legislation it has now overturned. Women are worried about the human rights implications of making it harder to get pay equity,' the former Commissioners say. The Ministry for Women told the CEDAW committee last year that the previous equal pay law had 'introduced a practical and accessible process to raise and consider claims of systemic sex-based pay undervaluation in female-dominated occupations.' The Ministry told CEDAW the changes had set out 'a clear pay equity process to test whether work that is predominantly done by women is free from sex-based undervaluation.' 'Now that this practical, accessible and clear pay equity process has been abandoned, we need to know how women's human rights will be protected. We need to see the advice that the Cabinet was given in the true spirit of transparency,' the former Commissioners say. ' Aotearoa New Zealand consistently tells the United Nations that it is proud of its leadership on gender equality in the international community. We now have to be honest that we are no longer first in class. We are alarmed that human rights implications were not disclosed or examined and regarded as insignificant.'
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Current And Former Commissioners Call For The Release Of Equal Pay Amendments' Human Rights Analysis
The Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) Commissioner and three former EEO Commissioners are calling for the release of the human rights analysis of the controversial equal pay amendments. Saunoamaali'i Dr Karanina Sumeo, Dr Jackie Blue and Dame Judy McGregor say they support the current EEO Commissioner Professor Gail Pacheco's concerns that the legislative overhaul will make claims more difficult. Professor Pacheco is concerned about the halt in progress on 33 current claims and the lack of consultation. Earlier in the week, she made a statement that said: ' The significant savings to the Government will come from the pockets of women working in jobs that are undervalued. "It's also concerning that the government is putting a stop to progress made to current claims that thousands of individuals have contributed to in good faith. Their hard work deserves to be respected, not undone. 'Our parliamentary processes are in place to protect democratic participation rights and should not be circumvented, especially on an issue like this which has significant consequences for so many people.' The Cabinet paper accompanying the legislation had blanked out the human rights implications in a redacted section. The former EEO Commissioners say that the public deserves to know the human rights consequences of the fast-tracked bill which was passed under urgency this week. 'The use of urgency locked out both women and members of the public to have input on critical legislation that impacts on their jobs, their livelihoods, their families and breaches their rights.' 'Pay equity obligations are specified in various legally binding United Nation conventions to which New Zealand is a signatory, such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and in conventions on the rights of disabled people and racial discrimination. New Zealand has also signed up to International Labour Organization conventions on pay equity. 'As a country we regularly boast about being a human rights leader so we need to see how this could affect our reputation as well as how it affects women who deserve pay equity in good faith. 'The New Zealand Government has repeatedly promised the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) that it was making steady progress on implementing equal pay and pay equity.' ' In its last report to CEDAW the Government boasted about the effectiveness of the legislation it has now overturned. Women are worried about the human rights implications of making it harder to get pay equity,' the former Commissioners say. The Ministry for Women told the CEDAW committee last year that the previous equal pay law had 'introduced a practical and accessible process to raise and consider claims of systemic sex-based pay undervaluation in female-dominated occupations.' The Ministry told CEDAW the changes had set out 'a clear pay equity process to test whether work that is predominantly done by women is free from sex-based undervaluation.' 'Now that this practical, accessible and clear pay equity process has been abandoned, we need to know how women's human rights will be protected. We need to see the advice that the Cabinet was given in the true spirit of transparency,' the former Commissioners say. ' Aotearoa New Zealand consistently tells the United Nations that it is proud of its leadership on gender equality in the international community. We now have to be honest that we are no longer first in class. We are alarmed that human rights implications were not disclosed or examined and regarded as insignificant.'
